Dear Friends,
I'm writing to invite you to enroll in this year's Summer Seminar (July 26–30). It promises to be an exciting, eye-opening session of Cato University—and I want you to be a part of it.
For all of us who believe deeply in limited government and individual liberty, this year's Cato University examines a vital subject that is at the heart of our freedom. As the program.s title indicates, it's the cornerstone of our liberty—property rights.
While our national focus has been centered over the past several years on global security, on protecting against threats from outside our borders, something alarming has been occurring, literally in our own back yards. Your property rights have been attacked and eroded. That something so fundamental to our liberty and privacy—something so deeply protected (so we thought) by the Constitution, something so much a part of our lives and what it represents for us as Americans—can be taken away by our governments is a powerful wake-up call for all of us.
When the Supreme Court rules, as it did in the 2005 case of Kelo v. City of New London, that a local government may take your property for someone else's private financial gain—not for public use (as prescribed by the Constitution) but merely to increase tax revenues—something has gone wrong. When government-directed "economic development" is preferred to justice and liberty, a very dangerous line has been crossed.
Cato University is about equipping citizens with the knowledge and skills to restore your rights. First and foremost, you'll learn from outstanding national experts. Just one example: Scott Bullock, the Institute for Justice lawyer who argued the Kelo case before the Supreme Court, will give you his inside account. Through Cato University you can become informed and knowledgeable, the person others will depend on to understand what's happening to their rights and what can be done to protect them.
I predict that Cato University will be one of the most enjoyable learning experiences you.ve ever had. The Don CeSar Resort is a magnificent setting and fits perfectly with the Cato University mission of giving you an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment along with like-minded, and interesting people from around the country.
I urge you to visit the rest of this site, to consider the importance of the topics to be covered and the quality of the faculty. At this Cato University you'll have the chance to plunge into a riveting subject followed by a plunge into a sparkling blue ocean. I hope that you'll register online today. It's quick, convenient, and secure. I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Tom G. Palmer